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The farmers were in distress. Those in power were forcing the farmers to cultivate Indigo and were exploiting them. Things came to a point where the situation was becoming unbearable. And this is when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi initiated a movement called the Champaran Satyagrah. The rest, as they say, is History.

It's now been one hundred years since Mahatma Gandhi initiated this campaign against imperialism and a reminder that citizens of this nation will have to keep coming together whenever there is distress.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of this movement, a group of two dozen citizens are inviting you to re-live Gandhi's message by participating in a yatra starting from Bihar's Champaran town to Rajghat in the national capital New Delhi.

Of late, despite his contribution, Gandhi has been caricatured. He has been taken up in symbols, and his ideas, his practice of Satyagraha, truth, and non- violence have been ignored.

In recent years, the constitution, the liberal, secular character of nation, the socialist character of development with common man as the focus has come under attack. Religious bigotry, lack of culture of debate and discussion, intolerance and hardcore capitalism has come to the fore. Diversity of the nation is under a pall of gloom. The looming threat of autocracy, subversion of judiciary in the face of executive pressure, power politics and the hunger to get power at any cost - are increasingly becoming the norm.

The farmers are being robbed of their land without the assent of Parliament; water, forests and land (Jal, Jangal, Jameen and beej ) are being snatched by government and leased out to corporate houses which are resulting in poor people especially from marginalized communities such as Dalits, tribals and women losing their livelihood.

Under such circumstances, Gandhi has become even more relevant today. Society has to be progressive, tolerant, inclusive, and sympathetic towards the weaker sections like SCs, STs, minorities and women.

Against this background, the civil society has a clear role. It should play its role in bringing Gandhi out of conference halls and amidst young generation.